Sunday, July 21, 2013

A Decade Of Lies...A Short Story

Downtownbuilding
Flash Fiction Photo Prompt

New week, new writing challenge! Here's the picture and here are the rules: 

1) Use the photo and the 5 words provided in your story
2) Keep your word count 500 words or less.
3) You have until next Tuesday to link up your post.
4) Link up your story at these sites: Nicole, Carrie, Tena, or Leanne
5) Have fun, don’t stress, let those creative juices flow.

This Week's Words:

Satellite
Buoy
Check
Lawyer
Rescue

Here's my story...enjoy!
A Decade Of Lies

Miranda looked up and saw the building where she lived for the past ten years. Ten years...had it really been that long? A decade of lies.
At times visions from her past life wafted into her brain, but she expelled them as soon as they arrived. No sense remembering the horrific things she did to her cheating ex--things he definitely deserved, by the way. That life ended when she placed a brick on the accelerator and launched her beloved BMW from the Hamilton Point Lookout and into the Pacific Ocean. She watched the back end of the car buoy twice, then disappear under the crashing waves. She waked away hoping if and/or when they found the car, they could explain the lack of a body could be due to it being thrown as the car rolled down the cliff, or forever digested by marine life if it made it to the water. Either way, some slick lawyer could nail her ex's butt to the wall for her murder. Good thing she talked her husband into taking out that multimillion dollar insurance policy on her only a year before. Can you say, motive?

Her plan worked to perfection. They used a satellite tracker her ex (unbeknownst to her...) placed on the car. Miranda read on the internet with glee as the trial progressed, with each check of her hometown paper, things turned from bad to worse for the man who once vowed to love her with all his heart, until death separated them. She laughed at the irony. No amount of charm could rescue him. She watched as a jury of twelve sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole, his claims of innocence rang as hollow as the man's promises.

The life she lived vanished as soon as the expertly crafted German automobile met its watery grave. Miranda executed the plan hatched during the months and years of healing from the scares of both mental and physical abuse and left, left the life she loved and everyone she ever knew in her twenty-seven years. 

And so, ten years later, she lived in a quiet upscale apartment on Nashville's west side. No one ever questioned the pretty brunette's paralegal skills, or her story of leaving California after her parents died. So far, things for her were working out pretty good.

Work Count: 397

8 comments:

  1. Great little intriguing yarn, Scott! What a fantastic stretch. The prompt words were seamlessly integrated in the story; no part of if felt contrived to fit the prompts in at all. What astounded me was seeing that you created this compelling scenario with backstory, present resolution, and a foreseeable future in under 400 words. Well done, my friend.

    ~Christopher

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    1. Thanks Chris for your kind words and editing observations (it was written after a long weekend with the family...). Those prompt words did work out well with this one--not true for all of these little stories. And the length...I've been finding it difficult to get to the 450 word mark lately. Thanks again for the comments!

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  2. I'll delete this, buddy...
    There are some typos that broke the read. Have a look. Great piece tho!
    ~C

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  3. She certainly got her revenge! Great story which flowed well.

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    1. Yes Sally, she did. And thanks for your kind words! It was a fun one.

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  4. Wow, Scott! This is so good; Miranda is a brave and intelligent woman. I like woman characters who are bold and do whatever it takes to survive. I don't know that I could ever be so bold. :)

    Have you ever read Jason Andrew Bond's Mortal Remains? Miranda reminds me of Erica Morgan in that story... if you are ever interested, I highly recommend it.

    Nice work again!

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    1. Thanks Leanne! You know, when I was writing this, I almost left out details of what the ex did to her, that way we really wouldn't know if she was lying and just hated the man...kind of puts a different spin on Miranda. Thanks again!

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  5. This drew me and I like the plot but once again I'm left frustrated. 500 words just seems to be a teasing trailer for the main event.

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